Like We're Flying
by Trialia
Summary: A new lease on life. Crossover with Firefly, Bill x Laura x Inara.


Title: Like We're Flying

Author: Trialia

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica (2003) & Firefly

Rating: K

Word Count: 981

Character(s): Laura Roslin, Inara Serra, Bill Adama

Pairing(s): Inara/Laura/Bill

Spoilers: through BSG S3 & Serenity (movie, not episode)

Summary: Enjoying a new lease on life.

A/N: Title from Lacuna Coil's "Our Truth". Beta-read by Meg (paxluvfelicitas), Mo (brownkitty), Tara (lilyayl) and Lisa (nightbeast) – many thanks! Written for the Make Laura Happy challenge #4.

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The bulkhead door clanged shut after Doc Cottle as he left, and Laura Roslin let out a sigh of relief, getting up from the couch and moving over to the bed where Inara Serra sat, having watched events with very little to say until now. She flopped down onto it with less than her usual grace, her face weary and expressionless despite her appreciation of the latest development in her condition. Shifting around a little, she laid her head against Inara's satin-clad shoulder and relaxed.

"So now you really can have no idea how long you'll live?" Inara smiled, and stroked a hand through Laura's beautiful auburn hair, gently untangling curls,as the other woman leaned back against her. "And you're not president anymore... I guess you're just like the rest of us, now."

"I guess I am; although, still not quite like you," Laura said, a tiny grin breaking its way through her serious expression as she tilted her head back to look at Inara. "It feels good, though."

"Well now, that doesn't surprise me." The tone was wry and amused, and Laura blushed slightly, pressing one hand to her chest to stifle an abrupt giggle.

Inara's brown eyes twinkled and in one second flat, Laura was on her back on the single bedbeing tickled by hands and loose clothing, laughing so hard it nearly hurt.Would have done,had she still been sick, and in that moment she gloried in feeling no pain, in this time and place, in her own happiness, in being closeted away in Bill Adama's quarters on _Galactica _with a beautiful woman from another universe who didn't give a damn that she'd passed the age of fifty or that she wasn't officially anything more than a schoolteacher now. Her smile widened, almost wistfully.

Inara's soft, sculpted fingernails scraped across the skin at the nape of Laura's neck and all thought suddenly fled; she hunched her shoulders reflexively against the invasive hand and giggled again as she felt the sensation both arouse and tickle her. "Inara!" she protested laughingly, trying to summon a schoolmistressish glare and failing.

The look on that lady's face was nothing short of wicked as she quickly seated herself astride Laura's thighs to hold her in position. Laura loved Inara when she was playful like this; she had so rarely let herself open up in a situation since she'd become a part of the fleet that it was a wonderful thing to see. She wriggled against the teasing touch, unable to stop laughing and unable to care. Inara's free hand moved down to Laura's waist and stroked the skin between light blouse and black skirt lightly enough to make Laura squirm, provoking a yelp of pure mirth.

Both women jumped, startled, as the bulkhead door ground open. They relaxed on seeing the room's designated occupant enter, and Inara nodded a greeting in his direction as Laura took the opportunity to extricate herself from Inara's grasp, panting with exertion. She might be well now, but she still tired easily.

"Hello, Bill," the Companion said with a smile, shifting off Laura's legs so that she could move and settling herself against the pillow, tucking her bare feet beneath the folds of the scarlet kimono she wore. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Inara," the Admiral responded, a smile hovering around his lips at the sight of their flushed faces, rumpled clothing and the matching sparkle in their eyes. "I take it the news was positive? I caught Doc Cottle on his way past CIC, but he wouldn't tell me, said I'd have to ask you." His glance went to Laura as he finished the sentence, and his eyes brightened almost imperceptibly from their previous warmth as he settled on the bed beside her, leaning against the wall and beginning to unfasten his uniform jacket.

Laura nodded. She curled up beside Bill, her hand on one of his as she smiled at him. "He doesn't think it'll be back this time. Granted, that's about what he thought last time, but… I feel a whole lot better just hearing that. Don't you?"

He gave her an affectionate look, lifting her hand to his mouth to lay a kiss on the back of it, and nodded, using his grip to pull her securelyagainst his side.

"Always."

Pythia's prophecies may not have been entirely accurate, but now, with the continued support of the inter-universal ship Serenity and her crew, Laura felt content and confident that they would find Earth – Earth-that-was as Inara and her shipmates referred to its equivalent planet in their original universe – before much longer.

River, the young genius who had made it possible for their ship to come here, claimed that she knew the way, and Laura believed that she might. She had even quoted Pythia to Admiral Adama on their first meeting, though that might be partly a result of her extraordinary telepathic ability.

Having Bill and Inara with her, no matter who she was to the rest of the fleet, and knowing now that she had a far greater chance than she'd had before of surviving to see Earth, made the knowledge that bit sweeter for Laura Roslin.

We'll make it, she thought. We will. And we can finally stop running.

She smiled, peacefully, and pulled Inara lightly in to settle against her waist as she rested her head on Bill's chest.

Until then, she'd happily live out her time here – and I'll live, she thought in delight, as Bill kissed Inara's forehead. He glanced at Laura as he tangled his fingers gently in her hair, stroking.

"Stop thinking," he said, not harshly. Inara took her hand, stroking the back of it, and looked up, her eyes soft and dark.

"He's right, Laura… Just enjoy the moment?"

Laura nodded, smiling, and leaned down to kiss her.

fin


End file.
